Olympic swimmer Dara Torres at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex as she prepares for the upcoming Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
5-time Olympian, Dara Torres, turned 45-years-old last month. That hasn't stopped her as she continues her unprecedented run at a sixth Olympics appearance, competing against swimmers more than half her age.
But unlike in 2000 and 2008, when she was already considered old by the sport's standard, she is fighting an uphill battle against physiology.
Excerpt from Chapter 4: Age – Speed for the ages
Since before the 2008 Summer Games, she has employed two mashers, or stretchers, who have kneaded, walked on, massaged and rubbed her muscles three times weekly. She’s also worked with O’Brien, a personal trainer and former team trainer for the Florida Panthers.
After the Beijing Games, she began consulting with Bill Knowles, a rehabilitation specialist who has worked with Tiger Woods and other sports stars.
She considers O’Brien her upper-body trainer. Knowles is the lower-body guy. The two have brainstormed to develop odd-looking exercises designed to cater to more than her physique. They say they also want to work out her brain. They believe neurological stimulation will help elevate hormone production. For that reason, she does nothing as simple as a bicep curl; involved, complex exercises, they contend, keep the mind active.
Continue reading, here.
Graphic: Are you over the hill for Olympic sports?
Video: Postponing the inevitable
Gallery: No drag getting old
In Profiles in Speed, Amy Shipley examines what makes an athlete fast: Technology, Physiology, Strategy, Age, Psychology, and Chemistry. Each month she will feature an athlete preparing for the 2012 London Olympics. Check back in June as Shipley features 14-time Olympic gold medalist, Michael Phelps on what sets him apart from other elite athletes: mental toughness.
Previous Chapters from Profiles in Speed:
- Chapter 1: Sprinter Carmelita Jeter takes technology in stride
- Chapter 2: Swimmer Missy Franklin was built for speed
- Chapter 3: Runner Matt Centrowitz has learned that strategy and speed are intertwined